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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, April 24, 2009 WSU, UW drop plans to move Apple Cup By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated Press Writer SPOKANE -- Officials at Washington and Washington State said Friday they have given up on a widely panned proposal to play Apple Cup football games at Qwest Field in Seattle. Washington state athletic director Jim Sterk said in a news release that agreement could not be reached on how to maintain a neutral-site atmosphere at the stadium just south of downtown Seattle and six miles from Washington's Husky Stadium. "Our student-athletes and Cougar fans would not be best served without this key component," Sterk said. "I was not going to continue following a path that was not in the best interest of WSU athletics, the university and our fans." Washington spokesman Richard Kilwien said a major issue for the Huskies involved the large number of Washington season ticket holders who would potentially be excluded. "We wanted to seek a solution that would make our season ticket holders whole," he said. "We wanted to accommodate every one of our season ticket holders at Qwest." Kilwien said it was a mutual decision to break off the talks. The Huskies have 37,750 season ticket renewals for the 2009 season and had 43,000 season ticket holders last year. Most likely, Washington would have received about 30,000 tickets for distribution to season ticket holders if the game were played at Qwest, home of the Seattle Seahawks. The proposal to play six of the rivalry games at Qwest Field beginning in 2010 was pitched as a way to dramatically increase revenue for both football programs. The idea, however, didn't sit well with fans of both schools, especially Cougar supporters who relish the unique home-field advantage of playing the Huskies every other November in the chill of Pullman's Martin Stadium. Many Cougars said that playing the game only in Seattle would give too much of an advantage to Washington. Pullman merchants also complained about the money they would lose from the lucrative Apple Cup week. The negotiations involved First & Goal, the operators of Qwest Field, and officials from the two schools. "What made this possible agreement attractive were the additional number of tickets available to our fans, the financial gain seen by the athletic department, and the tremendous exposure created by playing a game of this magnitude at one of the premier sporting venues in the country," Sterk said. "However, the final details could not be ironed out." The Cougars did not elaborate on the sticking points. Sterk said there was never a completed agreement to move the game. Both schools sought to raise revenues that would help cover rising tuition for scholarship athletes and other costs. Playing the game at Qwest would have paid each program potentially $2 million per year, according to reports. Currently, each team gets $240,000 for games played in Pullman at 35,000-seat Martin Stadium and $800,000 for games played at 72,000-seat Husky Stadium. Washington State plays an annual non-conference game at Qwest Field already, promoted by First & Goal, under a contract that is due to expire. "We appreciate the relationship we have with First & Goal and will work with them to maintain WSU football's presence at Qwest Field," Sterk said.

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